The code repository for this project is at https://github.com/jmrphy/migration_tweets. Feel free to send questions or comments to Justin Murphy at j.murphy@soton.ac.uk or @jmrphy.

This document is a preliminary analysis of every Twitter status update created between October 1, 2013 and March 1, 2014 which refers to immigration and contains any of the following terms: Bulgaria/Bulgarian, Romania/Romanian, England, UK, Britain. The sample contains a total of 136960 tweets.

Tweets on UK-Romanian-Bulgarian Migration, October 2013-February 2014

Most Frequent Tweeters

Most Retweeted Users (Total Retweets Received)

There is a total of 1048 retweets in the sample. I’m pretty sure this is much much fewer than other studies of more specific conversations, suggesting there is a lot of disconnected tweeting.

Most Retweeted Users (As a Share of Total Tweets)

Top links

Whole NetworkWhole Network

Eigenvector centrality refers to the degree to which nodes are connected to other highly connected nodes. This is a standard overall indicator of influence or network power. Betweenness centrality refers to the degree to which a node connects the other nodes of the network. Nodes with high betweeness centrality are “brokers,” not necessarily influential in a direct sense but powerful because they provide certain clusters with access to other clusters.

Key Actors

Network Time-Series

##    Frequency      Term
## 1     110935    immigr
## 2      15708    migrat
## 3      15491   britain
## 4      15226   migrant
## 5      13381      ukip
## 6      10986       the
## 7       9032  romanian
## 8       8846       say
## 9       8844     illeg
## 10      8298    minist
## 11      8205      will
## 12      7716       amp
## 13      6687      news
## 14      5902 bulgarian
## 15      5793   benefit
## 16      5046       new
## 17      4814   cameron
## 18      4790      year
## 19      4479       can
## 20      4317    polici
## 21      4255   england
## 22      4140       net
## 23      4086      make
## 24      4062   british
## 25      4055     peopl

plot of chunk unnamed-chunk-12

Random Examples of Most Negative Tweets

##  [1]  campbellclaret immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting englandfootball bully dailymail  masthead 
##  [2]  who hates britain  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay bating daily mail                             
##  [3] mehdi hasan who hates britain  it s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail yes       
##  [4] who hates britain   immigrant bashing women hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail  ralph milliband           
##  [5] who hates  uk  s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting dailymailuk mehdirhasan                 
##  [6]  who hates britain  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay bating daily mail                             
##  [7] rt   agree please immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermine gay bashing dailymail i believe  uk do                
##  [8]  who hates britain  it isn t  dead jewish refugee  belgium  served   royal navy  s  immigrant bashing woman hating                   
##  [9]  who hates britain  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail                            
## [10]  scotsw mehdirhasan immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting  hates britain  dailyfail             
## [11] who hates  uk  s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting dailymailuk mehdirhasan                 
## [12] if anyone hates britain  s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail                    
## [13] does  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail hate britain                             
## [14] who hates britain   s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail                         
## [15]  who hates britain  it isn t  dead jewish refugee  served   navy  s  immigrant bashing woman hating                                  
## [16] who hates britain  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail                             
## [17]   hates britain   s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail bbcqt                     
## [18] lets   debate   hates britain   immigrant bashing muslim smearing gay hating nhs undermining daily mail mehdirhasan                  
## [19] who hates  uk the immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail mehdirhasan nails            
## [20]  upnorthandgrim there    london riots    sick   cunts fuck em  back immigration killing uk                                           
## [21] uk immigrant problems british people write angry letters  the guardian russia immigrant problems russians get drunk  smash shit      
## [22] social unrest failing justice system immigration free    country  falling apart the decline  irreversible rip england                
## [23] who hates britain  the immigrant bashing women hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting dailymailuk                        
## [24]   hates britain   s  immigrant bashing woman hating muslim smearing nhs undermining gay baiting daily mail mehdi hasan               
## [25]  whyiamin uncontrolled immigration strain  jobs  housing destruction  nhs  crime social division doh whyiamout ukip                  
## 91260 Levels:   ... zzzzzz s sleep well  fellow tweeters except  torys libdems ukip bnp amp edl will clegg keep  word  cameron  immigration

Random Examples of Most Positive Tweets

##  [1] welcome  riba welcome  elite organised crime welcome   uk disclaimer if  re  immigrant  re  welcome   uk                    
##  [2] immigration reform advocates stand   dignity  respect latism                                                                
##  [3] immigration reform boost  economy the tennessean immigration reform boost                                                   
##  [4]  ukip  true majority  immigrants  coming   benefits offered  soft touch uk top  nhs  fair dc                                
##  [5] well said boris one    politicians brave enough  publicly state immigration great   uk                                      
##  [6]  uk immigration exciting times   firm feel  new extradition department will compliment  award winning immigration team well 
##  [7] cameron vows tories will build better britain yes   new work force  immigrants  work cheaper                                
##  [8] just  well mo farah won   gold medals  made britain feel great  immigration marrshow                                        
##  [9]  lbc then   tougher demands   marriage  conducted like  documents  immigration status proving right    uk                   
## [10] rt julianhuppert about  speak  benefits  uk  immigration  argue  immigration controls   fair accurate  prompt               
## [11] about  speak   benefits   uk  immigration  argue  immigration controls   fair accurate  prompt fb                           
## [12] it s cool   immigrants children  immigrants   prove  love britain do    love  can  just like                                
## [13]   uk   constitution fair rule  law    protected immigrants    right  appeal  fair                                           
## [14]  vanessa gold jacqueline gold blimey well done  you get  gold star   day although uk immigration will   high alert          
## [15] well donne the hackintosh community you rocks mavericks works like  charm migration  mountain lion thanks                   
## [16] would  support comprehensive immigration reform   led   detentions record  video comment                                    
## [17]  timeisnow  fair immigration reform protect family unity  workers rights support   share                                    
## [18]  robertkruk office aaronw readify good luck   migration   well worth                                                        
## [19] i m  immigrants coming   uk  work    claim benefits am i supporting  right political party or  i still  torie               
## [20]  charliewvivid good luck   campaigning  immigration rules  will better serve  uk s need  skilled labour                     
## [21]  musik charlescwcooke if immigrant   smart clever witty  charles i think uk  love                                           
## [22]  pperrin uk  liked worldwide  fairness  tolerance amp rightly  but   immigrants bypass democratic france benefits           
## [23]  amjadmbashir ukip well controlled immigration  fair integration   best way  communities  communicate  respect              
## [24] it s  argument  say immigrants  get  support  freedoms   country  birth  s   left  uk  fair amp free                        
## [25]  conayuk xsophieshania   good policies like working immigrants haimg  speak fairly fluent english    least gcses            
## 91260 Levels:   ... zzzzzz s sleep well  fellow tweeters except  torys libdems ukip bnp amp edl will clegg keep  word  cameron  immigration